


One Day Too Late

by StrandedOnMars



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: AU Where Steve has a younger sister, Blood, Death, Gen, Guns, Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-24 01:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15619176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrandedOnMars/pseuds/StrandedOnMars
Summary: She's gone. And it's all his fault.





	1. Prologue

"Make a move, Commander, and a bullet goes through her head," Jackson said to Steve as he looked at him. Complete venom laced his voice as he held Elena at gunpoint in front of him and the rest of the team. He knew that Steve wouldn't make a move if his little sister was threatened in front of him. He did his homework on him. Jackson had a large gash on his forehead. That was from Elena almost splitting his skull open with a rock when he tried to kidnap her. It almost worked but he recovered too fast before she could run and get help. 

Elena was slightly shorter than Jackson. He had complete access to shoot her in the back of the head if he wanted too. He held the pistol in his right hand and had the muzzle aimed at the back of Elena's head. He wasn't afraid to pull the trigger if Steve made a single movement that would threaten him. 

Elena stared at Steve as she knew what was going to happen. She was praying in the back of her mind that Steve wouldn't be stupid and make a move that would result in her being shot and most likely be killed. She had a large cut on her right cheek from her resisting to get into the van that Jackson threw her in. It still had dry blood on it. Elena knew that Steve was thinking about the options that he had. Which was none because he wasn't expecting for her to appear right in front of him. She could see the look in his eyes, and could see how scared he was at the thought of losing her. 

"Just listen to him, Steve," Elena said to Steve as she continued to look at him with a pleading look. She could tell just by his body posture that he was ready to kill Jackson in a heartbeat without even thinking of the consequences that would come right after it. She shifted her glaze to Danny, who was right next to Steve and gave him a look which said that to look after him if she didn't make it out alive which she knew that was going to happen. Danny looked back at her with a look that said she was going to make it and to hold on. Steve didn't say anything to her just yet, and was still looking at Jackson before he said something. Elena knew that Steve would break if she died. She shook her head at the thought.

 "Just let her go, Jackson, and nothing will happen," Steve said to Jackson as he looked at him. He still held the gun in his hand just in case if something went south which he knew would happen.

"Are you willing to give yourself up, Commander?" Jackson spat back to Steve as he continued to look at him. He now had a complete death grip on the gun that he held in his own hand. Jackson knew that Steve wouldn't give himself up. He was about to make him question his own actions in a couple of minutes. He looked at the back of Elena's head and then decided to make her have a slow and painful death by shooting her in the back a couple of times but he decided to wait for the right moment before he shoots her. Elena felt the cold muzzle of the gun touch the back of her head. She looked back at Steve and could see that he was thinking. She knew that she didn't have much time left. She stared at Steve and tried to memorize what he looked like before she died. 

"Don't be stupid Steve," Elena said to him as her voice slightly cracked. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears that were threatening to spill at bay. She knew how stubborn her older brother was, and she hoped in the back of her mind that he would do the right thing and not get her shot. Elena didn't get a response back from Steve, and she was hoping that he wasn't going to do what she thought he was going to do. 

"Listen to me, Steve, please." Elena said to him again as she continued to look at him. She then saw Steve's right foot hover above an inch off the ground. The last thing that she heard was Steve scream her name.


	2. Chapter One

It was a cold windy Tuesday afternoon and a thirty-three-year-old woman with long dark brown hair that was in a braid and dead looking bright blue eyes stepped out of a Black Mustang that had brown mud covering it's front and back tires. She went over to the passenger's side of the car and opened it the door as a strongly build black German Shepherd with a black bulletproof vest with a handlebar hopped out. The German Shepherd was Texan born and raised, but came to the island of Oahu with the woman since he was her partner for the last three years. 

The woman snapped on a black leash that she held in her hand to the clip that was on the dog's collar. She gave the leash a gentle tug as to remind the dog that she was in full control and he wasn't. The woman was called in by her older brother to help on a case that his team was working on. She gladly accepted the offer since she had nothing else to do for the day. The woman was known throughout the police force as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett's baby sister. That no one was to mess with her unless they wanted to get beat up by her, the Commander, or her German Shepherd partner that was by her side constantly. The woman worked as a dog trainer. Her older brother sometimes called her in if he needed help on a case that needed her line of specialty. The woman was a former police officer, but she quit the force after she was in the hospital for a few months after a failed case that she was on.

The German Shepherd that was walking next to her whined as he could feel the tension in the air, and knew that he was supposed to do his job as a tracker dog. The woman was wearing a black long sleeve shirt, jeans, and black combat boots. She shushed the dog that was walking next to her. She could tell that he was anxious for the job that he was about to do. The woman walked towards where she saw the police tape and saw her older brother looking at her with his own partner by his side. She gave him a small wave as she walked over to where he was. The woman received a small wave from her older brother and his partner. She could tell by the look on her older brothers face that this case was a hard one. The woman was told little of the case, and was only told that there was a murder and her older brother needed her help.

"What do we got?" Elena asked her brother as she stopped in front of the police tape. Her own partner stopped next to her and started to sniff the air that was around him. She had a feeling that what she was going to see would cause a memory lapse. 

"A twelve year old boy was murdered. His throat was ripped out and he's missing his right leg and left arm. We found a torn piece of fabric on the ground next to the boys left leg." Danny said to her as Steve pulled the police tape up for her. She went under it along with her own partner. 

"Is that it?" Elena asked both of them as they walked over to where the scene of the crime was. She had a feeling that what she was going to see was going to make her puke. She had an iron stomach, which let her see stuff that would cause people who had a weak stomach throw up. There are certain things that would cause her to puke. 

"Yeah, that's it. We couldn't find anything else on the boy or around him." Steve said to her as he knew that she would pry him for more information. He knew how she worked and she was almost exactly like him.

Elena huffed in annoyance, hoping that there was more to the case but she was upset that that was all her brother managed to figure out. 

"Elena, nice to see you again," Max said to her when they got to where the boy's dead body was, and Elena's partner sniffed Max's arm. 

Recon knew who Max was, so he didn't growl and he soon sat next to Elena's leg when she stopped. 

"Nice to see you again too, Max," Elena said back to him as she gently pulled back on Recon's leash. She then stopped dead when she saw the boys dead body. Steve must have seen her freeze because he asked her a question.

"Elena, are you alright?" Steve asked her as he looked at her and could tell that something was bothering her. 

Elena knew who did the murder. She knew that it was out of revenge.

"I know who did this," Elena said to everyone as she continued to stare at the boy's dead body. She couldn't believe that the murderer was still alive after she shot him while she was back in Texas as a cop. She still remembers the day as it was just yesterday.

"Who is it?" Danny asked her as he also looked at her. He could see that something was bothering her. He known her for more than a year, and he knew when something was upsetting her. She was basically like Steve, and it was easy to tell if something was bothering them. 

Elena didn't say anything at first, but she took a deep breath and soon explained who the person was. "The guy's name is Jackson Hawthorne, and he's a serial killer. Back when I was a cop in the Texas Panhandle, he killed multiple people in the course of three weeks and I managed to get him after tracking him down. I managed to corner him in an abandoned warehouse and I put at least ten bullets into him. He's supposed to be dead." Elena said to everyone as she then looked up at Steve. She had the look of fear in her eyes. She wasn't that short, and she a few inches shorter than her older brother. 

"Steve, this guy is after me," Elena said to him as she then looked around where they were standing, just to make sure if they weren't being watched by him. 

"Are you sure?" Steve said to her as he looked down at her, and he now was concerned for his little sister. 

Elena nodded, "I'm sure." She said back to him as she grabbed Recon's leash slightly tighter. She thought the guy was long dead, and she wasn't expecting him to still be alive after all these years. Elena sighed as she just realized that she was holding her breath, and she never had the thought that one case that she was working on would involve her past.


	3. Chapter Two

"Elena, is that all you know? Is there anything else that you can give us on Jackson?" Steve asked her as they were now both standing in front of her car. He had the look of uttermost concern on his face as he was going to make sure that his little sister wasn't going to get hurt from the man that she tried to kill back in the year 2000. 

Danny was standing next to the Camaro. He was waiting for Steve so they could get back to the office and look up Jackson's file. He was watching both of them from where he was standing. He could tell that something was going on between the two. Danny saw how rigid Steve was standing and how Elena was looking at Steve. He knew something was being discussed that both of them disagree on. 

"That's all I know, Steve, and if I knew anything else I would have had gladly told you by now," Elena said back to him as she looked at him. She could already tell that he was concerned for her and she knew that he was going to try his best and get the guy that she failed to kill back when she was an officer. She didn't like it when he worried about her, and they both knew that she can take care of herself. 

"Alright, here's what I'll can do to help. I'll ask a few of my old buddies that are still in the force for Jackson's file. I'll then send it over if I can get my hands on it." Elena said to her older brother as she had the feeling that this would probably be the last time that she ever would see him again. But she shrugged the feeling aside and knew that she had to focus on what was happening now. 

"You know what to do if you get anything that can help us," Steve said to her as he then took her into a hug, and he felt her hug him back after a few seconds of just standing there not doing anything.

Elena rested her head against her brother's chest, and she took a sniff of his shirt which had the scent of his cologne, knowing that would calm her down. She used to do that when she was younger.

"Be safe, okay?" Steve said to her again as he let go of her. He was serious about what he just said. He wasn't going to lose his little sister, and they both already lost their father and mother. He wasn't going to go through the pain of losing her too. 

"Ok, I'll be safe," Elena said to him with a sad small smile as she then turned around and went over to the driver's side of her car.

Steve watched her start her car from where he was standing. He stayed where he was until she disappeared from his sight. He was slightly surprised that his sister knew the man who killed the boy. He then remembered that they hadn't talked in a few years and a lot of things happened between the both of them. Steve knew that she could take care of herself. He was going to look out for her since she was apart of his family and he can't afford to lose her as well. He turned around from where he was standing and saw that Danny was looking at him from where he was which was a few yards away from him. He had a look on his face that said is everything okay. He knew that Danny also loved Elena, and treated her as if she was his own younger sister. 

Steve made his way over to where Danny was, and he knew that he was going to be asked a question from him. 

"Did she tell you anything else?" Danny asked him as he waited for him to unlock the car. He got a slight disapproving nod from Steve. 

"No, she didn't tell me anything else but she did say that she was going to ask a few of her old buddies to try and get Jackson's file back in Texas," Steve said back to him as he opened the car and got in the drivers seat. He had a bad feeling in his gut which he shrugged off to the side. He should of had listened to that feeling, since his life was about to change for the worse.


	4. Chapter Three

"Oh, I wish you were there with me Recon because you would have had gotten Jackson good," Elena said to her partner as she got onto one of the familiar roads that would take her back to her own place. She knew in the back of her mind that Recon would have had killed Jackson if she had him but she didn't get him until three years later of the incident.  
Recon sat in the passenger's seat next to her and his head was out of the window, sticking his tongue out as she went down the road. 

Elena lived by herself in a two-story house that was next to the beach. She didn't live that far from her older brother and he could check in on her whenever he wanted. She knew that her older brother would keep his eye on her. She wished that he could just realize that she can take care of herself and that she doesn't need anyone else to watch over her.

Elena hummed along to the song that was playing on her favorite radio station. She hoped that her brother can find Jackson before he finds her. She had a feeling that her brother was going to ask her why she didn't tell him about Jackson before, and she was thankful that he didn't because that would have had taken a long time to explain. The only reason why she bothered to take the case back in Texas was that Jackson killed one of her fellow officers, and she was close to the man who was murdered.

Elena wanted to kill Jackson herself and made sure that no one else took the case since she didn't want them to get hurt because of him and that she only did it to avenge her best friend.

"I wish that you were there, Recon. I sure wish that you were there." Elena whispered softly as she kept her eyes on the road that was in front of her. She soon took a right turn after going straight for the last five minutes. She knew the streets of the island like it was on the back of her hand, and she made sure that she kept up to date on the roads as well. Elena had a bad feeling in her gut, but she shrugged it off since she always had the feeling and she should of had listened to it since it was about to change her life for the worse, and everyone that was around her as well.

Elena soon pulled up on the street that her house was on, and noticed how empty and quiet it looked when she first got on the road. She knew that the street wasn't normally this quiet before, but she shrugged the thought off to the side and decided to worry about how she was going to ask for the file on Jackson from her contacts back in Texas. Elena took a left after staying on the Main Street for two minutes and soon pulled up into her driveway.

Elena noticed something was wrong the exact second that she pulled up into her driveway. She noticed that her front door was slightly opened from where she could see it in her car. Elena knew that she didn't leave her front door open when she left when she got the call from her older brother. She slowly pulled up her car into the driveway as she thought of the plan that she was going to use. She had multiple types of weapons in her car and on her person, knowing that there was going to be a chance that she might need to protect herself from something.

Elena unbuckled herself from her seat and reached for her gun that she had tucked in her waistband as she continued to look at the front door, having a feeling that whoever broke into her house was long gone. She opened her door and went over to the passengers' side, soon opening the door on that side and grabbed Recon's leash as he jumped out. Elena kept a firm grip on his leash as she held her gun in her left hand, knowing well that she was capable of using a gun with both of her hands. Recon growled as he could feel that something was wrong in the air, and his hackles were raised as if he was going to jump on something. Elena shushed him as she didn't want him to give away their position, and she soon made her way towards her front door.

Elena knew that she should call the cops since that was her first thought, but she then remembered that her older brother would be involved since she was related to him and she now wanted to prove that she can take care of herself without him helping her. It was unusually quiet outside of her place, and she could feel her heart beating out of her chest.

Elena didn't know why her heart was racing and didn't think much of how to calm herself down. She kept a firm grip on the gun that was in her left hand, and she kept her index finger on the side of where the trigger was. Elena gently pushed her door in with her right foot and was expecting a gunshot to ring out but she didn't hear anything. She sighed in relief but she stayed on her guard since she didn't know if the person that broke into her house was still there. 

Recon lead her into the house and was sniffing around to see if the person was hiding somewhere where both of them couldn't see them. Elena looked around as well, still keeping her grip on the gun that was in her hand and she then let go of Recon's leash so he could have more room to roam around. She didn't see anything that was stolen from her, and she noticed one thing that was on her kitchen counter when she walked into it. It was a note on a small piece of paper, and she knew who wrote it when she read it.

Do you value your life? Or your brother's?


	5. Chapter Four

"Hey James, it's me, Elena," Elena said into her Android phone that she held in her right hand as she sat in front of a baby blue laptop in her kitchen. She was hoping that he was going to answer her call since her other two contacts that she had didn't answer their phones and he was the first out of the three to answer the phone when she called. She was still in the clothes that she wore when she saw the boy's dead body. The only thing that was different that she let her hair out of the braid that she put it in when she woke up in the morning. 

Elena was surprised that he actually did answer his phone when she called because she knew the time zones that they both lived in were different. That it was probably nine at night over at where he was. Elena checked her house over three times with Recon to make sure that whoever broke into her house was gone, and they were and Recon wasn't able to get a scent of the person that went into her house. She was pretty sure that it was Jackson. She knew that he wouldn't just come to her house with the risk of getting caught by her or Recon and he must have sent someone else to do the work for him. 

Recon was laying down next to the kitchen chair that she was sitting on. He was making sure that she was okay and not going to get hurt. His large head was resting on his large paws, and it looked like he was asleep but he wasn't and he was fully awake and aware. Recon could sense that Elena was uneasy and waited to stay by her side, making sure that she was going to be okay.

"Rouge, is that really you?" A familiar deep voice asked her through the other line. She chuckled when she heard the nickname that she earned when she was back in Texas from one of her old best friends. She earned it by going alone on cases with no back up whatsoever, and she got plenty enough of injuries to verify that if no one believed her when someone told them about her.

Elena saved James from a couple of misshapes on cases before, and he owed her a couple of favors because of that. 

"Yes, it's me, James," Elena said to him again as she was hoping that he was going to be willing to give her the information that she needed to help her older brother. She didn't want to tell him that her life might be in danger as well. 

"What can I owe for this conversation?" James asked her as she could hear the heavy Texan accent in his voice. She smiled as she knew that whenever she called him that he knew that she needed a favor for him and he was the only one willing enough to help her. 

"I need you to look up Jackson's file for me. Let's just say that he resurfaced." Elena said to him as she looked down to see that Recon was looking up at her again. She smiled down at him before she looked at the laptop that was in front of her again and was waiting for James response. Elena heard a few keys clicking on his end. She assumed that he must be on a laptop of some sort. She hoped that he was going to give her what she needed.

"Sure thing, Elena. It might take me a while, but hold on." James said to her after a few minutes of silence between the two, and Elena felt her heart pounding in her chest in those two suspenseful minutes. 

"Thank you, James, thank you," Elena said to him with a small smile as she opened up her Gmail account, and knew that he was going email her the files that she needed.

"No problem, Elena," James said to her as she placed her phone down next to her laptop on the right side. She put him on speaker as she started to wait for him to email her what she needed to help herself and her old brother on this case. She heard him whistle as she heard more clicking on his end. She wondered how many files Jackson had since she forgot over the years. 

Elena hummed softly to a song that she knew when she was younger. She started to tap her right foot against the side of the cold metal chair as she waited for James to email her the files that she wanted. Recon looked up from where he was sitting, and let out a small yawn as he blinked a couple of times before laying back down in his spot but he still kept guard.

"Alright, this should be it," James said to her after an hour of him going through the data files that the police force in Texas had on Jackson. He sent over the last file that he could find on Jackson over to Elena as he then asked her one more thing before the conversation ended between the two. 

"How's everything going over there?" He asked her as Elena got everything that she needed from James through email. She sighed in annoyance as she then answered James question since they hadn't spoken for over a while.

"Nothing changed much. I work as a dog trainer now, and my brother sometimes calls me if he needs help on a case that he gets called on. Recon's alright too. How about you?" Elena said to him as she wasn't expecting to hear the news that he had two children last year and that both of them are now one year old. 

"Maria and I have two children now. The girl's name is Elena, and I named her after you and the boy's name is Matthias." James said to her over the phone, and he didn't get an answer from her at first.

"Congrats!" Elena said to him happily. She was happy that he has two kids now. She was surprised that he named his daughter after her. She smiled as she knew that both of his children have the best dad in the world.

"I'll send you some pictures of them. I got to go. Talk to you later, Rouge." James said to her, and they both said goodbye to each other as they both then hanged up. 

Elena knew that she was going to have to send over what she just got from James to her older brother. She yawned before she shook her head to get the thought of sleep out of her head knowing that she had to send over what she just got to her older brother so it can help him and also her in the long run. 

"Alright, Stevie, you better be thankful." She muttered under her breath as she typed a couple of things into her laptop before she sent everything that she got from James over to her brother via email. She hoped that her older brother received what she got because she wasn't going to go through what she just did again. Elena waited a couple of seconds before she turned off her laptop, making sure everything that she sent over to her brother made it to him and she hopped off of her chair that she was sitting on. She grabbed her laptop with her right hand as she then grabbed her phone that was next to her laptop with her left. She looked down at Recon who made eye contact with her when he heard her get off of the chair that she was sitting in a couple of seconds ago.

"Hopefully that was worth it," Elena said to him as she looked at him, and then turned around to head up to where the staircase was because she had a feeling that she was going to need all the rest that she could get if she was going to work on this case with the team and her brother.


	6. Chapter Five

Steve was sitting on a chair that was next to the kitchen counter when he got an email from someone on his phone that was placed next to him. He looked down to see that it was Elena who emailed him and most likely emailed him the files that he needed for the case that they were now on. He clicked open the email and let out a low whistle when he saw how long it was. He was thankful for her getting him what he needed for the case. Steve wasn't expecting to get an email this big from his sister, but he was still thankful for it and would take what he could get to get this man that is going after his sister. 

"Thanks, Elena," Steve said softly as he looked down at his phone and started to look through the email, reading the files that he was emailed by his sister and when he got to the end of the email he got a small note from his sister about the matter. He read that Jackson was a married man but apparently he killed his own wife and child when he watched her cheat on him, and after that the rage kept him going on a rampage on one of the files. Steve skimmed through the files and decided to look at the files that showed him the important things that he needed for the case, and he came across something that surprised him.

'Officer McGarrett goes after the man that killed her best friend, Officer Hunts who was killed by Jackson Hawthorne on June 14th.' Steve read the article that was on one of the files that were in the email, and he then realized why his sister wanted to kill this man all along and it was about revenge for him killing her best friend years ago. He continued to read the article that was in the file and saw that Elena went on the chase by herself and didn't have any backup whatsoever. It also said that she was wounded badly from the case and that she drove herself to the hospital even though she was shot a few times herself from the man that is now after her again. 

Steve never asked her about her past when they lost contact years ago, and he knew that he should have had asked of what he was reading just now. All he knew from Mary-Ann telling him that Elena joined the police force in Texas, and stopped talking to her as well as him. Steve continued to scroll down the email that he was sent and soon found a small note from Elena at the end of the email.

Steve. I have a feeling that something's going to happen. I know that you have that feeling too, even if you don't want to admit it. I love you, Steve. I know that I don't tell you that enough, but I love you and I hope that you know that.


	7. Chapter Six

It was a cold foggy summer Sunday morning and Elena woke up to the sound of her alarm clock going off on her oak wood dresser that was next to her king sized bed. She slammed her right hand down on it to make it turn off signing as she then sat up on her bed. She opened her eyes as she saw that it was seven in the morning, and that her brother wanted her at the office at eight which was an hour away. He called her last night after getting her email on Jackson. 

Elena had a bad feeling in her gut that something was going to happen, but she shrugged it off and swung her legs off of the side of her bed. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands as she then pushed herself off of her bed, knowing that she couldn't stay sitting on her bed staring at her wall that was in front of her.

Elena made her way towards her closet that was near her bed and wondered what she was going to wear for the day, and then decided that she should wear something casual that would make her feel comfortable for the day but knew that she had to wear something that would be good enough that would help her if something happened. She looked at her closet for a couple of seconds before she knew what she was going to wear for the day, and she hummed softly along to a song that she knew as she grabbed her clothes that she was going to wear. Elena grabbed a black long sleeve shirt, black jeans and black combat boots that she normally wore. The feeling of something bad happening was growing more in her gut, and she knew that she should listen to that feeling but she shrugged it off. Who knew that it was going to affect so many people.

Elena looked at her alarm clock again as she tied her right combat boot, and saw that it was only seven ten and that she had more time than she thought that she did. She stretched when she stood up from finishing tying her right combat boot, and she heard something downstairs but she shrugged the feeling off as she thought that it was Recon just moving around in his crate that was in the kitchen. 

Elena grabbed her phone that was charging on her oak wood dresser, and she tapped her left foot on the ground as she looked through her phone to see if she missed anything from her older brother or someone else. She put her phone in her pants pocket as she then walked over to where her bedroom door was, and hesitated to open the door with her right hand as she felt that something that was on the other side.

Elena sighed in annoyance and wished that she wasn't that paranoid as she was now. She opened the door with her right hand, and she should have had listened to the feeling of something bad happening in her gut because she didn't even get to move her right foot before she was tasered in the neck by someone and fell to the ground.


	8. Chapter Seven

"It's not normal for her to ignore us," Danny said to Steve as he looked at him. He had a feeling that something bad happened to Elena. He was holding his own phone in his hand, and he had her contact out on the screen. 

"She wouldn't" Steve agreed, fishing out his own phone from his pocket and looking down at it. 

"She hasn't been in contact with me either, no calls or text and that's not normal." He commented, looking to the side of them and waving his hand at Kono, making a come here motion with it when she looked up at them. When Kono came to a stop by Chin, Steve continued to speak.

"Something might have happened to her while she was getting ready to come over and help us on the case. Kono could you-" His voice came to an abrupt stop when Elena's personal ringtone blared out from Steve's phone, cutting through the growing tension like a knife.

"That's her now," Steve told them, pressing down on the connect button before he placed the call on loudspeaker so the others could hear it.

"Hey Elena, you're on loudspeaker with the team. Where are you? Is everything alright?" He queried. He waited for a response, picturing Elena gathering herself together for an epic rant about whatever it was which had delayed her when another voice spoke. A voice which Steve didn't recognize, but he had a feeling that he knew who it was.

"Well, that would depend on your definition of alright Commander. Your little sister is alive although she's currently unconscious and a little tied up. I'm afraid my accomplice lacks refinement over certain things."

Steve froze, staring down at his mobile as though it had suddenly turned into a bomb. For a moment he felt paralyzed by fear before his SEAL training kicked into action. He snatched a nearby pen and notebook and scrawled in it, shoving it over to Chin and Kono, watching them react to the simple three words which he had written.

TRACE THE CALL

Chin nodded once, and Kono went over to one of the other computers as he brought up the tracking system he had invented and went straight to Elena's page, working on it.

"What do you want? Where is my little sister?" Steve demanded, keeping his voice even and expressionless with difficulty. He didn't hear that his voice cracked. He wanted to yell at the man, threaten him and tell him all the things he would do to him when he found him but he couldn't. What he had to do, was relying on his SEAL training. The same training which had never failed him before.

"You can understand why I can't tell you the whereabouts of your sister at present time Commander. There would be little fun in it for us if we finished the game too early. If you cooperate with us through then you have my word that your baby sister will remain in fairly good physical condition. We might even be generous and drop her off at a hospital rather than dumping her on an abandoned road somewhere which was our first plan. If you fail to meet our demands then she's going to be the one to suffer for it."

Steve's hand curled into a fist as his eyes narrowed. He forced himself to breathe through the rage, keeping his eyes fixed downwards on the phone. He spoke, a barely suppressed violence to his voice.

"If you touch my sister then I can promise you that when I find you and trust me when I say I will find you, it will be one of the last mistakes you make."

"We would expect nothing less from a SEAL Commander like you McGarrett though let me make a promise to you in return. If you threaten us again then you'll never see your little sister again. I'll take her out onto the ocean myself and push her overboard and watch as the life drains from her eyes. Piss me off enough and I'll make sure I record the whole thing and send it to you so you can live through every moment with her until I break her and I will break her." The man stated lightly before his voice hardened. "Further contact will be made with you shortly. I'd be sure to pick up the call quickly if I was you."

Steve swallowed hard as the phone went dead indicating the call had been disconnected. A thick, heavy silence filled the room. He looked up in time to see the expression of shock on the others faces morph into looks of determination and rage.


	9. Chapter Eight

The first thing which greeted Elena when she slowly opened her eyes was darkness. She blinked allowing her eyes a moment to adjust to it, even as she tried to figure out in her head why it was dark when only a few seconds before it had been daytime. She tried to remember but the memories skirted away from her, leaving her confused. Had she gone home and fallen asleep and somehow missed the whole afternoon? She knew that a day spent on nothing but helping her brother on the case could be boring but she had never quite blank the whole experience from her mind before.

The second thing she realized was that her body was moving up and down, sliding to and fro on a rough surface. She reached down, touching what she was lying on with her fingertips, feeling felt beneath her touch. She realized almost instantly that she must have been lying on a carpet of some description. Her hands and feet were bound tightly together with what felt like masking tape and the back of her neck was throbbing painfully, sending a shooting pain down her back indicating a hit of some kind from behind. Grunting, she twisted so she was on her back and reached up, feeling around her. The area she was in was small, empty other than herself. That, added to the bumping sensation probably meant that she was now in the trunk of a car being transported somewhere.

She breathed out shakily, allowing herself five seconds to give into the panic which swept through her in a wave, a wave which made her stomach churn as she realized the seriousness of her predicament before she ruthlessly cut it off before it could take hold on her. The last thing she had time for was to give in to fear, fear would cripple her, make her slow and stupid and she needed everything in her working clearly to get through the experience she knew was coming. People as well known and recognizable as her weren't kidnapped randomly. They were kidnapped for a reason and Elena needed to figure out that reason. She closed her eyes, searching through her scattered memories trying to build up a picture in her mind of how she ended up in the trunk of a car.

Elena got a call from her older brother saying to come to his office about the case, and after that everything was a blur.

Elena shifted against, moving her arms over one shoulder and touching the tender skin of her neck, wincing at the pain the simple action caused. The skin was hot to touch which probably meant she had been tasered, it would certainly explain why she had clearly gone down like a sack of potatoes. Her mouth was dry so she had probably been out for an hour or so which meant that the others would start to wonder where she was. She shifted her arms again and patted them awkwardly down her body, silently cursing when she realize that she had nothing on her so there would be no way for the others to trace her.

It seemed that it wasn't her lucky day and that rescue wouldn't come swiftly for her. She would have to rely on herself.

She listened carefully, she could hear the sound of muffled singing meaning the radio was on in the main car, the vehicle was moving at a smooth, steady pace, probably at about 40 MPH so whoever had her was driving in a way that draws little to no attention to themselves. If she had been gone about an hour it would be two, after the midday rush and before the evening one but there should still be enough cars around.

Elena moved again, hunching herself over so her back was towards the main car and kicked out, ignoring the pain the simple action caused her. It took two more kicks until the tail light shattered, scattering onto the road below. Elena stayed still, listening carefully for any change but the muffled song continued and the car remained at the same speed indicating that the driver hadn't seen anything.

Elena growled, shaking her head.

If she had been kidnapped by a group of punk kids then she would never hear the end of it from her brother or the team.

She shifted her body again, grunting at the effort until her head was near the light, she squinting in it, ignoring the pain again as she peered through, her gaze flickering around her taking everything in. The road was empty behind them and greenery surrounded it meaning they were on one of the lesser used roads.

Elena rolled her eyes, wishing for a moment that things could be easy before she skirted forward resting her bound hands by the gap and forced her fingers through, the edge of the glass cut into her but that didn't matter. None of the main roads would remain empty the whole time and she might get lucky and someone might see her hands, realize what was happening and call it in. If she knew Steve then the other man would be looking for anything which might indicate where Elena was and a report of an apparent kidnap victim in the back of a car might help. Her brother was a clever man when he wasn't acting like a Neanderthal animal.

For a moment she wondered what would happen if no one saw her and no one came for her but she pushed the thought away from her mind.

If no came for her then she would simply get herself out of the mess, it wouldn't be the first time she had done it and she was pretty sure it wouldn't be enough.

One way or another Elena was going home, the only question was how many bodies did she have to climb over to do it?


	10. Chapter Nine

Elena's eyes narrowed as she felt the car pull to a stop, she quickly withdrew her hands from where they were still hanging outside the broken tail light, praying that at least one person who had passed the car she was in had seen it and had thought to ring the cops instead of discarding it. She dragged her hands back through, ignoring the pain she felt when the broken shards of glass cut her exposed skin. She scooted back, dropping her arms in front of her, closing her eyes and made her body go limp. The last thing she wanted was to reveal to whoever was driving the car that she was now conscious.

She had learned through past experience that people were more likely to talk in front of someone who they thought couldn't hear a word then one who was wide awake and watching them. Elena needed as much information about this situation that she could. The more they talked, the more she could find out exactly who kidnapped her. She had a feeling that it was Jackson, but she couldn't be too sure.

Had she been taken for herself, God knew there were enough people out there who probably held a grudge against her, they could easily have been planning this for a long time or perhaps it was nothing to do with her, perhaps she was simply the bait. A means to an end to get another member of the team, most likely her older brother. It would have made more sense if it had been Chin or Kono for them to take one of the other.

She forced her thoughts back to the present when she heard two car doors shut, rocking the car slightly telling her instantly that there were at least two people getting out of the car. She waited, focusing her attention on keeping her breathing slow and steady, suddenly thankful for all the times that Chin had jokingly taught her how the breath through her emotions, normally after Steve had done something particularly stupid which almost had gotten him slapped by her.

She didn't have long to wait as the trunk was flung open, flooding the previously dark space with bright sunlight that made Elena want to pressed her eyes closed tighter though she once again resisted.

"I can't believe she's still out of it. I thought these 5-0 clowns were meant to be tough." A man grumbled, his voice deep and husky with an accent that Elena placed as South African indicating that he was here on holiday or posing as a tourist for this job.

"That what happens when you Taser a guy for as long as you did Bobby" A second man answered, this voice answered. It was lighter and clearly American with a distinctive Boston accent. Elena wanted to smile to herself. She already had a name for one of them. "Anyway, we should be thanking our lucky stars that she's still out. You know as well as I do that the boss has special plans for this one."

"Yeah well let's hope he gets his plans over and done with as quickly as possible Ray" came to the disgruntled reply from Bobby. "This one might not be too tough but I've heard about the other members of her unit. From what I've seen and heard the last thing we want is to still be here when they come from this girl. They aren't exactly known for asking questions before they start shooting the place up and I personally don't want to be at the receiving end of one of their bullets Ray."

"I think we're in complete agreement there Bobby," Ray responded with a sigh, his tone sounding concerned as though he imagined the scene which Bobby had described to him. When he next spoke his voice was serious and professional sounding. "Bring her inside, the last thing we need is for some Good Samaritan to see what's happening here and call it in." He stated.

Elena heard Bobby snort at the comment.

"Who the hell would come here, we're in the middle of a deserted airfield in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah, well regardless I don't want to take any chance. So let's go." Ray responded gruffly. There was the sound of a sigh and then two large hands were on Elena, pulling at her clothes and rolling her over to the front of the trunk.

"Are we clear?" Bobby demanded. For an instant, Elena was tempted to slit her eyes open and see exactly what she was dealing with but she resisted the urge. All it would take would be either Ray or Bobby looking down at her at that exact moment in time and the game would be up. She could try and take them now but she was in an awkward position.

"You've said it yourself, we're in the middle of nowhere, we're good to move her," Ray answered.

The next thing Elena knew she was picked bodily up and thrown over a shoulder in a fireman lift.

"This fucker is heavier than she looks," Bobby grunted one arm wrapping around the back of Elena's thighs like a brand across them. Elena risked opening her eyes finding herself looking down at tarmac before she closed them as she heard the sound of Ray laughing just beside her.

"Yeah, yeah. Just stop your moaning. It's not as if you can't cope with the extra weight and besides the only person who you have to blame is yourself. Maybe next time you won't be quite so violent in your takedown."

Elena frowned to herself as they began moving, wondering how the hell these two complete and utter morons had managed to get the drop on her. She would definitely never hear the end of it from the team when they found her. She could picture the remarks and smirks in her head already. She forced her eyes open again, ignoring the sharp pain the sunlight caused her retinas as she took another glance around, taking in the large old building and open spaces. Most definitely at an airport of some kind. There couldn't have been that many of them around the place.

She closed her eyes again, fighting against a sudden wave of dizziness which she forced himself to breathe through it. She wasn't feeling sick so there was a good chance that she had missed a concussion which was what she needed. She needed her head and reactions to be clear and concise if she was going to get herself out of this situation.

Her two kidnappers remained silent, walking into an empty looking building. It smelt slightly damp which meant that the building was probably unoccupied with very little foot traffic just like they had said.

"Put her in there for the moment," Ray commented dismissively.

Elena heard the sound of a door creaking open before she was dumped to the floor, landing hard on it. She remained still, aware of the man who had dropped her watching him for a moment before the door slammed closed and Elena heard the sound of faint footsteps moving away.

She waited for a couple of minutes before she lifted her head, her eyes wide open as she looked around her considering, frowning slightly. It looked like she was in an old walk-in freezer, the walls made out of metal, she shivered, rubbing her arms before her gaze landed on something on one of the shelf. Something which brought a smile to her face.

She could use that.

Elena came slowly to her feet, moving to the side out of the way of the door and sat down, her back against the wall. She looked around her one more time before she closed her eyes, frowning slightly as she began to plan.


End file.
